Waimea: An Imperfect Beach but a Perfect Place to Stay in Kauai

Pam Mandel explains why the Waimea Plantation Cottages are the perfect home-base for a trip to Kauai, even though the beach doesn't have the famous clear Pacific waters Hawaii is famous for.

Waimea means “red water” in Hawaiian and indeed, when you walk down to the beach at Waimea Plantation Cottages, you see red dirt from the nearby hills churned up in the Kauai surf. You might wonder why you’ve picked—let’s be honest—a place with an imperfect beach when there are so many other places to stay that have the clear Pacific waters Hawaii is famous for.

But the Waimea Plantation Cottages have something beyond the beach. You feel the old Hawaii vibe the minute you walk into the beautiful open breezeway and look out across the swath of lawn toward the sea. In your cottage you are completely in this place; you will not wake up wondering what generic hotel you’re in. If you want a flawless beach, you can find that on Kauai. But if you want a place that makes you feel, unmistakably, that you are in Hawaii, this is it.

Local tip: Just up the road you’ll find Ishihara Market, where there’s a staggering array of poke (marinated raw tuna). Don’t wait too late in the day to go shopping for your six pack of beer, tortilla chips, and half a pound—okay, a pound—of poke to eat on your cottage patio while watching the sun go down. It's a perfect evening; you will know you are in the right place. And a warning: It’s Kauai. That means roosters at dawn. Pack earplugs or plan to get up early.